We Know Why the Earth Moves

(Hidden Shoal; US: 28 Jun 2008; UK: Unavailable)

The Slow Beings: We Know Why The Earth Moves

Having seen Vancouver group Black Mountain on three different occasions the last six days, every band begins to sound like them. But for Aussie group The Slow Beings, it seems to ring a bit truer. Although not as heavy or metal-leaning as Black Mountain, there’s a certain stoner pop feeling on the opener “I Waste the Sea” with more muscle and brawn tossed in halfway through. Meanwhile, the airy, spacey “People Leave Heaven” also shines quite nicely with its subtle nod to The Smiths. Perhaps the first real highlight is the strong, powerful nugget “Nil By Rote”. The band’s knack for crafting brilliant melodies is also apparent on “Yoshkar-ola Song” that comes across like a cross between Oasis and ‘90s band The Connells. Despite hitting a bit of a rut with “They Dive At Dawn”, the record returns to life with a delicate but delicious title track, resembling Explosions In the Sky.

Originally from Cape Breton, MacNeil is currently writing for the Toronto Sun as well as other publications, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, NME.com, Country Standard Time, Skope Magazine, Chart Magazine, Glide, Ft. Myers Magazine and Celtic Heritage. A graduate of the University of King's College, MacNeil currently resides in Toronto. He has interviewed hundreds of acts ranging from Metallica and AC/DC to Daniel Lanois and Smokey Robinson. MacNeil (modestly referred to as King J to friends), a diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan, has seen the Rolling Stones in a club setting, thereby knowing he will rest in peace at some point down the road. Oh, and he writes for PopMatters.com.